New Mexico Renewing Fight Over Immigrant Licenses

BARRY MASSEYAssociated Press

Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 11:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 11:58 p.m.

SANTA FE, N.M. | As other states move to provide driver's licenses to immigrants unlawfully in the country, New Mexico has renewed a battle over a proposal by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to stop granting licenses to illegal immigrants.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is shown Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013 at an Albuquerque MVD office as she unveils a new online system for driver's license renewal. The Republican said Wednesday she will continue to push for "full repeal" of a state law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

A House committee on Tuesday shelved the governor's proposal but the issue isn't likely to go away in the Legislature.

The Labor and Human Resources Committee voted 5-4 along party lines to keep the measure bottled up in the panel — a possible way for majority Democrats to try to delay action on the politically thorny issue until the Legislature adjourns in mid-March. The committee's decision also gives Democrats more time to see if there's room for a potential compromise — possibly establishing special driving permits or licenses for illegal immigrants.

The governor's allies still have options, however. They can try to bypass the committee and force a vote by the 70-member House. That's what happened in 2011, and the House ultimately approved the governor's measure although it died in the Senate.

"The public deserves ... no, they demand an up or down vote on this," said Republican Rep. Paul Pacheco, of Albuquerque, who sponsored the measure backed by the governor.

The House has approved a similar bill the past two years with the backing of Republicans and a handful of Democrats, but the measure has stalled in the Senate.

New Mexico and Washington state allow illegal immigrants to obtain the same driver's license as a U.S. citizen, but Utah grants a special driving permit to immigrants that can't be used for identification, such as to board airliners.

House Speaker W. Ken Martinez, a Grants Democrat and committee member, pointed out that more states are making licenses available to at least some illegal immigrants.

Illinois just enacted a law to allow illegal immigrants to receive a temporary driver's license that will last three years.

California started issuing driver's licenses this month to young illegal immigrants who qualify for federal work permits. About 30 other states may follow that example in allowing licenses to some immigrant youths under terms of a decision by President Barack Obama to defer immigration enforcement against those who came to the United States as children, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

Pacheco and Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla told the committee that New Mexico has become a magnet for illegal immigrants who abuse the system by coming to the state to get a license with no intention of becoming a resident.

"Basically what we have done is we've created a cottage industry for those who have seen the weaknesses in our law," Padilla said.

However, supporters of the license system say those concerns are misplaced and there's a trend in other states of recognizing that immigrants living illegally in the country should be given valid licenses to drive to get to their jobs, take their children to school and deal with other daily chores.

"We clearly have seen movement at the national level to support immigration reform and we have seen movement in other states to provide driver's licenses," Marcela Diaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a Santa Fe-based immigrant advocacy group, said in an interview. "The reality is there are immigrant families who are here, who have lived here for many years, who are contributing members of our society and a part of our social fabric."

<p>SANTA FE, N.M. | As other states move to provide driver's licenses to immigrants unlawfully in the country, New Mexico has renewed a battle over a proposal by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to stop granting licenses to illegal immigrants.</p><p>A House committee on Tuesday shelved the governor's proposal but the issue isn't likely to go away in the Legislature.</p><p>The Labor and Human Resources Committee voted 5-4 along party lines to keep the measure bottled up in the panel — a possible way for majority Democrats to try to delay action on the politically thorny issue until the Legislature adjourns in mid-March. The committee's decision also gives Democrats more time to see if there's room for a potential compromise — possibly establishing special driving permits or licenses for illegal immigrants.</p><p>The governor's allies still have options, however. They can try to bypass the committee and force a vote by the 70-member House. That's what happened in 2011, and the House ultimately approved the governor's measure although it died in the Senate.</p><p>"The public deserves ... no, they demand an up or down vote on this," said Republican Rep. Paul Pacheco, of Albuquerque, who sponsored the measure backed by the governor.</p><p>The House has approved a similar bill the past two years with the backing of Republicans and a handful of Democrats, but the measure has stalled in the Senate.</p><p>New Mexico and Washington state allow illegal immigrants to obtain the same driver's license as a U.S. citizen, but Utah grants a special driving permit to immigrants that can't be used for identification, such as to board airliners.</p><p>House Speaker W. Ken Martinez, a Grants Democrat and committee member, pointed out that more states are making licenses available to at least some illegal immigrants.</p><p>Illinois just enacted a law to allow illegal immigrants to receive a temporary driver's license that will last three years.</p><p>California started issuing driver's licenses this month to young illegal immigrants who qualify for federal work permits. About 30 other states may follow that example in allowing licenses to some immigrant youths under terms of a decision by President Barack Obama to defer immigration enforcement against those who came to the United States as children, according to the National Immigration Law Center.</p><p>Pacheco and Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla told the committee that New Mexico has become a magnet for illegal immigrants who abuse the system by coming to the state to get a license with no intention of becoming a resident.</p><p>"Basically what we have done is we've created a cottage industry for those who have seen the weaknesses in our law," Padilla said.</p><p>However, supporters of the license system say those concerns are misplaced and there's a trend in other states of recognizing that immigrants living illegally in the country should be given valid licenses to drive to get to their jobs, take their children to school and deal with other daily chores.</p><p>"We clearly have seen movement at the national level to support immigration reform and we have seen movement in other states to provide driver's licenses," Marcela Diaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a Santa Fe-based immigrant advocacy group, said in an interview. "The reality is there are immigrant families who are here, who have lived here for many years, who are contributing members of our society and a part of our social fabric."</p><p>___</p><p>Follow Barry Massey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bmasseyAP</p><p></p><p>Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.</p>